On the road: Week three round-up
Distance travelled (van only): 608km (10 hours). This included 98km and 3.5 hours on the ferry from Picton to Wellington.
Distance travelled (Kath on plane/in car):
PNR - AKL: 1h 5m
AKL Domestic to Chatswood: 55m
Chatswood to Harris Hill with many wee stops for Kratos: 7h 30m - on ONE TANK OF GAS! Win.
Audiobook on deck: Mistborn: Shadows of Self by Brandon Sanderson.
Currently watching: Witcher! It’s been a trick to get our head around the timeline, but it’s amazing.
We were grateful for: Beds ‘R’ Us on Thorndon Quay for not only bringing the last double-sized mattress they had in stock out of their warehouse to the shop, but allowing us to park in their delivery bay and wrestle the mattress in before paying to make sure it fit. Top-quality service, and very much appreciated!
We missed: Dan says he missed having me ride along with him in the camper now that we have my car with us, but it’s still really good to have both vehicles as it makes life a whole lot easier.
We learned: That now we have been on a few (excellent) wine tours, we know enough to self-guide ourselves to the best spots and spend the tour money on buying more wine!
Funniest moment: Witnessing the master of quiet-but-lethal strategy, Tony Harris, calmly take the last three games of Monopoly Deal card game after we had spent the first few round ribbing him mercilessly for banking all his cards. We take it back. He is The Man.
“Best” save: Dan buying back-up burger buns from the shop as he was worried that his from-scratch version wouldn’t work. He ended up making the most amazing brioche burger buns which made the back-up buns seem pale and dry in comparison.
Best campsite: Our spot on Harris Hill! Thanks heaps to the awesome Amanda and Tony Harris for hosting us and showing us around Palmerston North. We will return…with more chai and kimchi!
Most scenic location: The view from the ferry deck as we left the Malborough Sounds. It was a a gorgeous, sunny day with nary a cloud in the sky. No matter how many times we do this crossing, it never gets old.
Most interesting fact we learned: That the 2019 harvest of Riesling was the best yet in Malborough, leading to our favourite vineyards winning loads of awards and to Dan finally getting a bottle of Doctors’ Riesling that tops his all-time favourite drop of the 2015 vintage. It was worth the wait!
We recommend: If you’re keen on motorhoming or caranvanning in NZ, joining the NZMCA. They have a great app with all the places/facilities you’ll need across NZ marked on a map, great (dog-friendly!!) parks where you can stay for $3 pp/night, and a mad discount on the Bluebridge Ferry.
Number of wrecked cars on the roadside: One. Also, no near-miss collisions! Yay!
Progress made towards our 20 in 2020: While staying on Harris Hill, Dan made chai concentrate, brioche buns for burgers, finished off his second batch of kimchi (goal 20). We also walked a lot more to get ready for Uruwera and the Queen Charlotte tracks.
